Lexus has admitted grilles too large for the vehicle they're fitted to can polarise, rather than attract buyers – but it's doubling down on, not waving goodbye to the 'spindle' grilles seen on its models over the last decade.

Speaking with Automotive News, Lexus global design chief Koichi Suga reportedly acknowledged US market research showing that oversized front grilles can, in the publication's words, be a "turnoff" for buyers, with a look Suga noted "many people mention ... looks like Darth Vader".

But rather than abandon its 'spindle' grille design and return to the more conservative look of early Lexus models, Suga says the company will find the "right balance" with a new design style known as the 'spindle body'.

Debuted on the RZ electric car and new RX large SUV, the 'spindle body' blends the grille in with the rest of the body – by blanking it out entirely on the RZ, or integrating a body-coloured 'overbite' insert on the RX.

"We want to maintain the spindle shape itself. But the spindle has always been based on functionality of what's happening under the hood," Suga told Automotive News.

Describing its new design language, Lexus says in its media materials: "Central to the new spindle body design are the carefully sculpted seamless grille and integrated headlamps that strengthen and evolve the signature design."
Lexus was among the first brands fitting enlarged front grilles to its models, rolling out the spindle grille across its range over the last decade – from the GS, CT and LS around 2012, and culminating in the new LX four-wheel-drive revealed last year.

However, Audi arguably pioneered the modern 'big grille' among luxury brands – excluding Rolls-Royce, Bentley and other hyper-luxury marques – with the early versions of its 'Singleframe' grille in the early 2000s.

In recent years, many other brands have followed – including, most controversially, BMW, which has received criticism for enlarging its trademark 'kidney' grilles in height, on the new M3, as well as width, on the flagship X7 SUV.

Suga said the approach channels customer feedback, noting the mixed reviews given to previous iterations of the Lexus grille that compared it to everything from a Braun electric shaver to the tenacious teeth of the Predator from the science fiction film series.

"Many people mention it looks like Darth Vader," Suga said here on the sidelines of the unveiling of the overhauled RX midsize crossover.

U.S. market research, he said, showed that when the spindle grille is too big, it's a turnoff.

"The new spindle execution is based on this learning," he said. "We need the right balance."

Lexus admits Spindle Grille was a "turnoff" for customers